Children and parents are beginning to adjust to the routine of being back in school. This means time running on the playground, after school sports practices, and breaking in new school shoes. Now that school is well underway it’s a good time to inspect your children’s feet and shoes for any signs of foot problems or aggravations. One common problem your child may be experiencing is heel pain.

If your child is complaining about foot pain, but can’t exactly pinpoint the location for you, heel pain is usually felt in the center of the heel when weight it placed on the foot. It sometimes feels worse in the morning when the feet first touch the floor. So, when you go in to be your child’s alarm because they slept through the real one, make a mental note of whether or not he is experiencing any pain when he gets out of bed. If so, then check out the tips below to help ease the pain.

Tips to Ease Children’s Heel Pain

One of the main causes of sore heels in children is a condition called Sever’s disease. This involves a tight Achilles tendon pulling at the growth plate of the heel. It can cause inflammation, swelling, and pain at the back of the heel where the tendon is attached. Below are two stretching exercises that may help relax the tendon and reduce the irritation. Remember: don’t do stretches while your child’s foot is painful; wait until it is better, and never stretch until it hurts.

Have your child lie on his or her back with legs straight out. Gently lift each foot up toward the shin bone until it is at a 90 degree angle. Hold 8 seconds, relax, and repeat five times. Do this several times throughout the day. There should be NO pain; if there is—stop.

Your child stands facing a wall, with one foot a step behind the other, heel flat on the ground. Leaning in toward the wall at the hip will stretch the gastrocnemius muscle. Hold 10 seconds, repeat three times. Doing the same thing with the back leg slightly bent will stretch the soleus muscle. Repeat with each leg three times a day as long as it does not hurt.

After trying these tips for a couple of weeks, if your child’s heel pain is not getting any better, contact Adler Footcare for a free evaluation. A New York podiatrist can recommend the proper treatment options, like the HyProCure® treatment detailed in the free download below, which has shown to be extremely successful in children. At Adler Footcare we believe feet shouldn’t hurt and neither should their treatment.

Dr. Adler is a leading podiatrist in NYC and heads up a staff of board certified podiatrists, with offices in Midtown Manhattan and White Plains, NY. He has been practicing since 1979 and has performed thousands of foot surgeries. Dr. Adler is board certified in podiatric surgery and podiatric medicine by the American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry. Adler Footcare of Greater New York provides all types of foot care treatments including foot pain management, bunion surgery, minimally invasive foot surgeries and Hyprocure®, which is changing the face of podiatry. They recently moved into their brand new office in Midtown Manhattan, complete with a state of the art Podiatric OR. Dr. Adler always says “your feet shouldn’t hurt and neither should their treatment”. Contact the caring staff today at the Manhattan or White Plains offices if you need a foot doctor in NYC.